Chapter 1

"Evander! Come, let me help you."

"T-t-thank you, Mr. James."

Mr. James is the most feared teacher by students in my school.

"AKH!"

I screamed, feeling like my stomach was being hit by a thousand big stones.

"Can you walk, Evander? If not, I'll call someone else to help carry you out of here," Mr. James said.

"No need, Mr. Marcel. I can, but maybe the steps will be a bit slower."

Mr. Marcel nodded, and we began to walk.

"I thought, after returning from training, you would be stronger. But you're still giving your body away for them. You can't just stay silent, Evander. You have to be firm!" Mr. James said.

"Just being able to breathe and live is enough for me, Mr. James. You know, my legs are problematic, and my left hand isn't strong enough to move. How can I be firm with them?" 

Mr. James fell silent, perhaps realizing that what he had just said would never happen in my life.

Born with a weak physique and what could be considered disabilities like this has made me an outcast since childhood. People call me Evander the Dragging because of my dragging walk.

"I'm sorry, Evander. I don't know what else to say. Honestly, if I may, I'd rather see you graduate and leave this school soon. I'm tired and can't bear to see you always being the plaything of those stockholders' kids," Mr. James confessed.

"Yes, I feel the same way. I regret even more knowing who my real father is. If he hadn't come and persuaded me to go to school here, maybe I wouldn't have suffered so much."

Yeah, I've been living with my mother and grandmother. But when I was 13, my mother left somewhere. Maybe she was tired of taking care of me, who is easily sick and weak. Two days after my mother left, my father suddenly appeared. The man I had never seen since birth showed up and took me and my grandmother to his house in New York. Previously, we lived in Woodstock.

He was very wealthy; I still remember the expression on his face when he hugged me. He repeatedly apologized and gave reasons why he had to leave us before. I started to understand and learn to forgive. He already had a new wife, Laura, who was initially very kind to me.

Since then, I have been schooled here. One of the favorite schools of the elite's children. From elementary school to high school now. But the onslaught of problems in my life is far from over. Two years ago, my father passed away due to an accident.

Yup, when I turned 16, I lost my father. Laura started to show her cruel side after my father's death. In the end, my grandmother and I were kicked out of their house. I was only left with $10,000. Fortunately, I could still continue my schooling, and since then, everyone has become bolder in bullying me.

Oh, I forgot to mention, initially, they only bullied me through words. My father was one of the investors in this school. But since he passed away, everything has changed.

"Do you want me to take you, Evander? Look at the sky, it's getting dark. It seems like it's going to rain. Besides, your legs must still be hurting if you're forced to walk to the bus stop," Mr. James said as we approached the school lobby.

"I think that's also a good idea, Mr. James. If you don't mind, I'll accept your offer."

"You're a student I always prioritize, Evander," replied Mr. James.

"Even though I never succeeded in following every sport you taught."

We chuckled, and Mr. James hugged me again to get going.

**

Ten minutes passed, and I arrived in front of the house. My legs were slowly starting to move again without needing to be carried by someone else.

"Thank you, Mr. James."

His broad smile disappeared as soon as the car door closed. Mr. James quickly drove off a few seconds later.

I sighed deeply; today felt so heavy. The rumble of the sky sounded somewhat eerie this afternoon. I hastened my steps to enter the house.

A humming, like that of a flute, suddenly sounded, piercing my ears. The sound came from the direction of the mailbox in front of my house.

A blue glint on the roadside suddenly caught my attention. I squinted, and my feet reflexively moved towards the source of light.

As I approached, I saw a ring, deep blue with small black eyes, lying among the grass.

So beautiful. That's what I thought.

The question is, whose ring is this?

I looked around, left and right, but there was no one looking for a ring or passing by around my house.

I picked up the ring and stared at it intently. My eyes slowly fell into the beauty presented by this ring.

I don't know how to explain it. My eyes were filled with blue light. I couldn't take my eyes off this ring. It felt like I wanted to attach it to my eyes so I could satisfy looking at it.

"Give it to me, Evander..."

Suddenly, a voice came from across the street. My eyes immediately shifted, finding a man in black armor standing, extending his hand towards me.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" I yelled.

He didn't answer; his face looked very serious. He was handsome and imposing, with thick beard and hair on his face. His eyes stared blankly at me, what did he want?

"Give it to me, Evander, and come here."

Again, he uttered strange words. Somehow my courage increased; I showed him the ring and shouted, "You want this ring? You come here! Take it from my hand!"

I put the ring on my middle finger. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck, making me instantly bow my head. My heart felt like it wanted to jump out, damn it.

I raised my head again to see the mysterious man. But what I found was different. The man disappeared! Without a trace.

Was that just an illusion? I don't know. I looked back at the beautiful ring on my finger; its beauty seemed to radiate even more. Without realizing it, a wide smile spread across my face. Even the wind and the car losing control towards me, I ignored them.

My body was hit, the only thing I remembered before death was the charm of that ring.